Improving Flexible Attention to Numerical and Spatial Magnitudes in Young Children

提高幼儿对数字和空间大小的灵活注意力

• 批准号: 2301009
• 负责人: Mary Fuhs
• 金额: $ 70.26万
• 依托单位: University of Dayton
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-06-01 至 2028-05-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2301009&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Improving; Flexible; Attention; Numerical; Spatial

Mathematical skills are essential for STEM careers, as well as crucial tools in everyday life, from financial planning to medical decision-making. Unfortunately, many students fail to reach their potential in these skills. One of the challenges that preschool-aged children face when acquiring an understanding of numbers is distinguishing between numerical magnitudes (like three elephants) and spatial magnitudes (like the size of an elephant). Prior research suggests that children often focus on the size of the objects instead of the exact number of objects (for example, when comparing 3 elephants to 6 mice, children often mistakenly say that there is a greater number of elephants than mice). The ability to flexibly pay attention to both numerical and spatial magnitudes and then determine which magnitudes are relevant for a given situation is referred to as “flexible attention to magnitudes” (FAM). This project aims to understand the development of young children’s flexible attention to magnitudes skill and how it can best be supported by specific experiences in early childhood. It is hypothesized that this skill is essential to later mathematical thinking and is an important skill for many mathematical activities, such as number line estimation and proportional reasoning.The proposed studies are designed to identify specific mechanisms that lead to improvements in flexible attention to magnitudes (FAM) skills. The first aim of these studies is to examine the roles of mathematical language and visual experience as potential causal mechanisms that drive improvement in this skill in young children. The second aim is to determine whether improving flexible attention to magnitudes skill has a causal effect on mathematics achievement. The third aim is to test whether an intervention leads to durable improvements in flexible attention to magnitudes skill and mathematics achievement, and far transfer to executive function skills. The fourth aim is to explore whether the impact of flexible attention to magnitudes instruction depends on students’ socioeconomic status (SES) and initial number word knowledge. These aims will be tested with young children ages 3 - 5 years via three experimenter-led studies using pretest-intervention-posttest designs. Each study will compare reading books with specific types of FAM content to each other and to an active control. Study 1 will test the effects of mathematical language and Study 2 will examine the role of visual experience on FAM skill and mathematics achievement. Study 3 will examine gains in FAM skill and mathematics achievement at a delayed post-test, and far transfer to executive function skills. Study 4 will pool data from Studies 2 and 3 to provide a well-powered test of SES and number knowledge as moderators of the effects of FAM intervention. These studies will build a theoretical model of how FAM skill develops and impacts other skills, while simultaneously laying the foundation for larger-scale interventions aimed at improving children’s mathematics skills.This project is supported by NSF's EDU Core Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. Investments are made in critical areas that are essential, broad and enduring: STEM learning and STEM learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

数学技能对于 STEM 职业至关重要，也是日常生活中的重要工具，从财务规划到医疗决策，不幸的是，许多学生未能发挥这些技能的潜力，这是学龄前儿童面临的挑战之一。理解数字是区分数字大小（如三头大象）和空间大小（如大象的大小）。先前的研究表明，孩子们通常关注物体的大小，而不是物体的确切数量（例如）。 ，当比较 3 头大象和 6 头大象时（例如，老鼠，孩子们经常错误地说大象的数量比老鼠多）能够灵活地关注数值和空间量值，然后确定哪些量值与给定情况相关，这被称为“对量值的灵活关注”。 “（FAM）该项目旨在了解幼儿对量级技能的灵活关注的发展，以及如何通过幼儿期的特定经验来最好地支持这种技能。人们认为，这种技能对于以后的数学思维至关重要。许多数学技能拟议的研究旨在确定提高灵活注意幅度（FAM）技能的具体机制。这些研究的首要目的是检查数学语言和视觉的作用。经验作为推动幼儿这项技能提高的潜在因果机制，第二个目标是确定提高对幅度技能的灵活关注是否对数学成绩有因果影响。灵活关注技能和数学成绩的大小，并远转移到执行力第四个目标是探讨灵活关注量级教学的影响是否取决于学生的社会经济地位 (SES) 和初始数字单词知识。这些目标将通过三名实验者对 3 至 5 岁的幼儿进行测试。领导研究采用前测-干预-后测设计，将阅读具有特定类型 FAM 内容的书籍相互比较，并与主动对照进行比较。研究 1 将测试数学语言的效果，研究 2 将检查视觉体验的作用。 FAM 技能和数学成绩。研究 3 将在延迟的后测试中检查 FAM 技能和数学成绩的进步，研究 4 将汇集研究 2 和 3 的数据，以作为主持人对 SES 和数字知识进行强有力的测试。这些研究将建立 FAM 技能如何发展和影响其他技能的理论模型，同时为旨在提高儿童数学技能的更大规模干预措施奠定基础。该项目得到了 NSF 教育核心研究的支持。 (ECR) 计划强调基础 STEM 教育研究，在重要、广泛和持久的关键领域进行投资：STEM 学习和 STEM 学习环境、扩大 STEM 的参与以及 STEM 劳动力。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。